A decades-old recording by an actor telling commuters to “Mind the gap,
please” is being restored to a London Underground station after his
widow told staff she missed hearing her husband’s voice.

The instruction to “Mind the gap, please” by 1960s actor Oswald Laurence was once famous across the London Underground, but was gradually phased out as PA systems were upgraded.

Eventually, the northbound platform on the Northern Line at Embankment station was the last place where it was possible to hear Mr Laurence’s recording, until that too ceased.

However, London Underground has now decided to restore the original recording after being approached by the widow of Mr Laurence.

Mrs Laurence is understood to have told Tube managers that she used to go to the station after her husband died in July 2001, aged 80, just so she could listen to his voice.

A Transport for London spokesman said: “TfL were approached by the widow of Oswald Laurence to see whether she could get a copy of the iconic Mind the Gap announcement her husband made over 40 years ago.

“We were very touched by her story, so staff tracked down the recording and not only were they able to get a copy of the announcement on CD for her to keep but also working to restore the announcement at Embankment station.”

Historians said London Underground had used a number of voiceover artists to read out public address messages over the years, including Tim Bentinck, who plays David in long-running BBC Radio four serial The Archers.

“They gradually phased him out too, until the last station he was left at was Russell Square - which happened to be the stop his wife used for work. Whenever they played him saying ‘Mind the gap’ she’d think:‘Thank you, darling, I will’.”

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